By Doug Niven

My cousin, Jim Clark, inspired a generation with his courage and skill behind the wheel, as well as his dignified and humble personality when not racing.

Widely regarded as one of the greatest motor racing drivers of all time, he became a national hero and international icon of the 1960s.

He won the Formula One world championship in 1963 and 1965, and Indianapolis 500 in the same year – with 25 wins and 33 pole positions from 72 starts.

He was very much a farmer at heart, admired for his integrity and humility alongside his remarkable ability in all types of motorsport.

His death at Hockenheim, in Germany, in April, 1968, aged just 32 stunned the world and in terrible circumstances helped redefine Formula 1 with a greater emphasis on safety.

That move was led by his close friend, Sir Jackie Stewart, who actively strives for safety in Formula One even now.

The current Jim Clark Memorial Room in the picturesque market town of Duns, in the Scottish Borders, is dedicated to the life and racing career of Jim.

Since its opening in 1969, it has welcomed more than 300,000 visitors and is managed and staffed by Scottish Borders Council.

The modest historic museum is home to a unique collection of more than 100 trophies and memorabilia, and draws visitors from all over Scotland, the UK and the world.

Signatures and messages from the visitors’ book include many of Jimmy’s peers and drivers of the modern era, including another motor sport legend, Ayrton Senna.

The Jim Clark Trust, working in partnership with Scottish Borders Council, is on track to build a new expanded Jim Clark Museum, celebrating his life and legacy for 2018.

The plans are well advanced and have been made possible thanks to Scottish Borders Council’s commitment of capital funding towards the building design and infrastructure. The council pledged £620,000 towards the new £1.6m museum.

Also, a further £645,000 support, is coming from the Heritage Lottery Fund, with Stage 1 Development phase approved and the Stage 2 Delivery build programme pending.

A further £300,000 in charitable donations is required to give the green light to the ‘Delivery build’, which will turn the existing building into a modern museum with space to display new memorabilia and two of Jim Clark’s race cars.

The project is supported by the trust’s president, the legendary Sir Jackie Stewart and patrons include Dario Franchitti, David Coulthard, Allan McNish, Lord March, Clive Chapman, Ian Scott-Watson, Andrew Cowan and Hugh McCaig.

In late February, 2017, Formula One legend Sir Jackie asked motor sport enthusiasts across the world to back a charity crowd-funding campaign.

He said: “Jim Clark was not only the best racing driver I ever raced with and against. He was also a great friend, a wonderful ambassador for motor sport and indeed for Scotland. It is only right that we honour his success and achievements.

“I am delighted the museum project has reached this crucial stage with the support of the trust and I would like to thank Scottish Borders Council and Heritage Lottery Funding.

“The foundations of this project are ‘Heritage’, ‘Education’ and ‘Inspiration’ bought to life through the story of Jimmy’s incredible career and significant influence on Scottish motor sport.

“If those values ring true to people around the world, I hope enthusiasts will join me in wishing the fundraising campaign every success.”

The #jimclarkmuseum campaign ran for eight weeks and raised £100,316 from 739 supporters.

At the same time, the publicity generated by the campaign led to further donations made by private individuals totalling another £100,000, and confirmation was received of a further £75,000 in grants from other charitable trusts and foundations.

Whilst the total was just shy of the £300,000 required to fully fund the facility, the Jim Clark Trust and Scottish Borders Council will now proceed with submitting the stage two application to the Heritage Lottery Fund for £645,000 while fundraising continues.

This is a hugely significant milestone for the project which has been under starter’s orders since 2013. Our attention must now turn to the challenge of fundraising and expanding the museum collection.

We welcome the support of the general public and motor sport fans, without whom, this project will not be possible.

To this day, Jim is remembered with great affection around the world. The plans have received national and international interest from US, Europe and Australia.

We have a rare opportunity now to create something special in Duns, a museum that features the cars in which he raced, attracting thousands of visitors from far and wide.

The goal of the museum is to inspire the next generation and generations to come, with a modern and vibrant celebration of Jim Clark’s incredible career and impact on motorsport around the world with trophies, pictures, film footage and some of the cars in which he raced.

Exhibiting cars in which Jim Clark raced will be the highlight of the new museum, with the existing trophy collection at its heart.

Plans include expanding the current collection, image galleries, film footage, interactive displays and a technology and education zone. Exhibiting the cars in which he raced will be the star attraction.

(Read about a new book dedicated to Jim Clark on page 66)